System of submarine construction.



No. 699,729. Patented May l3, I902.

B. H. WEISKEH.

SYSTEM OF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

(Application filed Jan. 6, 1900. Renewed Oct. 7, 1901.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-8heet '1.

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WITNESSES No. 699,729. Patented May l3, I902. B. H. WEISKER.

SYSTEM OF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

pplication filad Jan. 6, 1900. Renewed. Oct. 7, 1901.) (No Model.) 5 sheets-sheet 2.

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IN VE N TOR No. 699,729. Patented May l3, I902.

B. H. WEISKEB.-

' SYSTEM OF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

(Application filed. Jan. 6, 1900. Renewed Oct. '7, 1901.) (No Model.) 5 Sheets*Sheet i TU,

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No. 699,729. Patented May l3, I902.

B. H. WEISKER.

SYSTEM OF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

(Ap'plicationfi'led Jan. 6, 1900. Renewed Oct 7, 1901.) (No Model.) 5.8heats-Sheei 4.

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.B. H. WEISKER. SYSTEM DF SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION.

(Application filed Taxi. 6, 1900. Renewed Oct. 7, 1901.) (No Model.) 5 Shank-Sheet 5.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERNIIARD II. \VEISKER, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

SYSTEM OF SUB-MARINE CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 699,729, dated May 13, 1902. Application filed January 6,1900. Renewed October 7, 1901- Serial No. 77,880. (No model.)

10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNHARD H. WEIsKnR,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the tures, and more especially to an improved cof fer-darn by which these structures can be built in a quicker, cheaper, and more reliable manner than by the systems'heretofore in use; and the invention consists in its general outlines of a cofter-dam composed of a number of independent cotter-dam sections of rectangular,circular, or other shape anchored to the bed of the river or other bodyof Water by means of piles guided at the interior of said sections, anchoring shovels or blades guidedin keepers of the lowermost cotter-dam sections, partitions connecting said sections, and anchored tothe ground by similar shovels or blades, and a connecting-arch between said coder-dam consisting of supporting-ribs'and a water-tight covering layer extending over the ribs, said arch extending over the section of ground inclosed by the coffer-dam where the tunnel, wall, or foundation is, to be built, so as to permit the removal of the body of water below said arch.

The invention consists,further,in the special construction of the individual coifer-dam sections, of the guide-piles for securingthe same to the river or other bed, and of the coveringarch, as will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical transverse section through a completed tunnel-section, showing my improved system of submarine construction shown as applied for building a tunnel. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. l with the arch partly removed. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section of the water tight covering layer of the arch connecting the cotter-dam sections. Fig. at is a plan View of one ofthe coffer-dam' sections drawn on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. Fig.

6 shows a vertical section through a number of superposed cotter-dam sections secured to the bed of the watercourse by the guide piles. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a side elevation and a horizontal sectionon'line 8 8, Fig. 7, of one of the guide-piles employed for retaining the cofferdam sections. Fig. 9 is a plan view, partly in horizontal section, of a modified cotter-dam section shown as secured to the bed by a series of vertically-guided anchoring shovels orblades. Fig. 10 isavertical longitudinal section on line 10 10,Fig. 9. Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively a plan view and a vertical transverse section on line 12 12, Fig. 11, of a modified form of cofier-dam section. Fig. 13 is a vertical transverse section of my improved coder-dam shown as applied for building the retaining-wall of an embankment. Fig. 14 is a plan of the cotter-dam shown as applied for building two walls of an embankment or similar engineering struc' tures, said figure being drawn on a smaller scale than Fig. 13. Figs. 15 and 16 are re spectively a plan View and a side elevation of a circular-form of cotter-dam section, and Fi 17 is a plan view of a cotter-dam formed of the circular sections shown in Figs. 15 and 16.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In my improved system of building submarine structuressuch as tunnels, embankments, foundations for bridge-piers, and the like-a cotter-dam is employed which is composed of a number of independent cotter-dam sections A, that are made of rectangular, circular, or other shape, as shown, respectively, in Figs. 4 and 15. The coiTer-da'm-sections A are preferably made of boiler-iron of suitable strength and are provided with one or.

more transverse braces A, which are bolted orotherwise secured at their ends to the walls of the coder-dam sections- The braces, A may be arranged either midway of the height of the section A or two may be arranged one' near the upperjand the other near the lower end, as shown, respectively, in full and dotted lines in Fig. 12. The braces A are provided with intermediate guide-sleeves a, by which the sections A can be readily lowered along guide-piles P, which are driven into the bed of the river or other watercourse in a line parallel or at right an glos with the axis of the IOU next belowtunnel or other structure, the location of the piles being first accurately determined by proper surveys, so that the coiIer-dam sections can be placed in position at the required distances from each other. When the guidepiles P of the required length are driven at the required distance from each other, the cotter-dam sectionsA are carried to the piles by means of scows or other vessels provided with suitable hoisting and lowering devices, every cotter-dam section being placed in position on two adjacent guide-piles and then slowlylowered along the same until it arrives on the bed of the river. YVhen the depth of water is greater than the height of an individual coffer-dam section, it will be necessary to superpose one coffer-dam section upon the other, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, and elongate the piles correspondingly, which is done by providing them with disks d at their ends, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and connecting said disks by means of fasteningbolts d. The guide-piles Pare madeof a central core 19, having three radial wings p, as shown in Fig. 8.: The lower end of one coffer-d'am section is shouldered and the upper end of the adjace'nt'section recessed at its circumference, so that one sect-ion fits snugly into the section When the several coffer-dam sections are superposed one above the other according to the relative depth of the water at the point where the tunnel or other structure is to be built, the lowermost sections are anchored to the bed of the river by means of anchoring shovels or blades 0, which are guided along suitable keepers C, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, and which are driven into the ground in the same manner as the piles P by suitable pile-driving devices on the scows.

After the coffer-dam sections are secured in position on the ground in twolines which are parallel with each other and the axis of the tunnel or other structure to be built they are connected by means of partition -walls B, which are made of boiler-iron, wood, or other suitable material and which are lowered in guideways a, arranged at the outer corners of the rectangular coffer dam sections, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or in pairs at each corner, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, or in pairs at four equidistant points on the circular sections, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16. \Vhen the partitions B are placed in position so as to connect the individual coder-dam sections, the partitions B, connecting the lowermost sections A,arelikewise anchored to the ground by means of shovels or blades 0, which are guided in keepers O of the partitions in the same manner as the shovels employed for'fastening the bottom sections A. The anchoring-shovels O are rounded otf or pointed at the lower ends 6 and provided with heads e attheir upper ends,so as to facilitate the driving of the same by the rams of the pile-driving devices. The anchoring shovels or blades 0 are slightly curved along one side, so as to extend or lap over the-side of the adjacent shovel or blade, and produce thereby the firm, tight, and reliable anchoring of the lowermost coffer-dam sections and partition-walls to the bed of the river or other watercourse. The cotter-dam sections are then filledwith concrete at the bottom and above the same with clay or debris, so as to render them strong and water-tight.

The coffer dam sections are provided at their outside with projecting brackets b,which are riveted, bolted, or otherwise attached to said section, either to opposite end walls or to the end and side walls of the same, as shown, respectively, in Figs. 4 and 12. The cofferdam sections shown in Fig. 12 can be used for longitudinal and transverse connection,

as called for by the special structure to be built. The partition-walls B are likewise provided wit-h brackets b, as shown in Fig. 12. These brackets serve for the purpose of supporting an arch E, that extends transversely from one line of coder-dam sections to the other and which is composed of a number of arched ribs 6, of wrought-iron, over which a strong wire-netting e is placed,which is again covered by thin sheets of lead a as shown in Fig. 3. Over the layer of lead may be placed a layer e of concrete, asphaltum, or other water-tight material. The strength of the ribs and the superposed layers has to be in proportion to the pressure induced by the height of the column of waterabove the arch. The ribs and different layers described form a strong and absolutely water-tight arch between the two parallel lines of cotter-dam sec tions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ribs,wire-' netting, and lead sheets are placed in position bydivers,while the covering layer of concrete or asphaltum is laid over the netting by means of chutes, which extend down from the scows to the arch and through which the covering material, which is mixed in the scows, is run down on the arch. When the tunnel is built at some depth below the river-bed, the wirenetting and thin sheets of lead are placed in the cotter-dam directly on the bed of the river and afford then sufficient protection for the tunnel; but when the tunnel is to be built partly below the river-bed and partly above the same the arch has to be at a suitable distance above the same, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, while when the tunnel is to be built entirely above the river-bed the arch has to be arranged at greater height above the bed, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

After the parallel lines of coffer-dam sections and partitions are placed in position they are connected by transverse lines of coffer-dam sections and partitions, the watertight transverse arch being then constructed between them in the manner described, so that the body of water in the space inclosed by the cotter-dam sections, the arch, and the river-bed can be removed either by pumping I to when near the shore or later by draining it off simply by gravity through the completed sections of the'tunnel: The transverse-por tions of the coffer-dam are necessary when the building of the tunnel progresses away from the shore into a greater depth of water. The tunnel-section is then built in the usual manner by excavating the earth to the proper depth within the coder-dam and completing thebottom, side, and top walls, each tunnelsection being equal with the clear interior length of the cotter-dam. WVhen the tunnelsection is finished, the cotter-dam sections are taken up again, together with the arch, and placed again in position on the river-bed in the direction of the tunnel, so as to permit the building of the next tunnel-section, and so on until the tunnel is built across the river or other watercourse. As the depth of water increases the number of superposed cofferdam sections is likewise increased, so that a cotter-dam of the required strength for supporting the temporary arch is obtained. When the structure to be built is at or near the shore, a coder-dam of U shape is used, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14. In this case the arch may be dispensed with and the structure built, after pumping out the water inclosed by the coder-dam, in the same manner as the coiter-dams heretofore in use. It is obvious that the strength of the coffer-dam, as well as the strength of the arch, has to be computed, so that they can resist the greatest pressure that can possibly be exerted on them either by the side pressure on the cotter-dam or by the downward pressure of the column of water above the arch.

For most purposes the cotter-dam sections are only provided with one set of guideways at each corner, as shown in Figs 2, 4, and 14. For some purposes, however, it may be advisable to arrange them with two sets of guide- I ways at each corner-that is to say, two sets on each side of the cotter-dam section, as shown in Figs. 9 to 12 The guideways are preferably of dovetail shape in cross-section, the ends of the partition-walls being made of corresponding shape, so as to interlock there with. In the circular cofier-dam sections the guideways are made of cast-metal blocks, which are attached to the outside of the sections and provided with two guideways each, as shown in Figs. 15, 16, and 17. Q

My improved system for building submarine structures has the advantage that the boring of the tunnel at a certain depth below the bottom of the bed of the river or other watercourse is dispensed with and that the tunnel can be built either directly below or partly above and partly below or entirely above the bed of the river or other watercourse and that the work can be carried on in sections, if desired, from opposite ends or even from one or more intermediate points in opposite directions toward each other, so that a long tunnel can be finished in a much that the work is carried on in all cases,

whether near the shore or in aconsiderable depth of water, after the cotter-dam is placed in position, in the same manner as when building large-sized sewers on land, and at a greatly-reduced costas compared with the systems of building submarine tunnels or other structures heretofore known.

Having thus described my'invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A cotter-dam, consisting of separate coffer-dam sections of=rectangular, circular or other shape, said sections being provided with exterior guideways, piles for guiding said sections and holding them in position, and partition-walls guided in said ways for connecting said coder-dam sections, substantially as set forth.

2. A coffer-dam, consistingof a number of separate coder-dam sections of rectangular,

circular or other shape,braces connecting the walls of said sections, guide-sleeves in said braces, piles in said sleeves for guiding the sections-into position, and partition-walls connecting the 'opposite ends of said coderdam sections, substantiallyas set forth.

3. A coffer-dam, consistingofa number of independent cotter-dam sections of rectangular, circular or other shape, transverse stiffening-braces in. said sections, guide-sleeves in said braces, piles in said guide-sleeves for guiding and retaining the sections in position, partition-walls connecting said cotter-dam sections, and a series of vertically guided anchoring shovels or blades arranged on the walls of the coiter-damsections and partitions, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a cotter-dam composed of a number of separate coder-dam sections of rectangular, circular or otherv shape, of piles for holding said sections in position; partition-walls connecting said cotter-dam sections, anchoring shovels or blades for securing the lowermost cofier-dam sections and partitions on the ground, and awater-tight arch connecting the coder-dam sections and.

partition-walls, substantially asset forth.

5. A cotter-dam sectioncomposed of-an open casing of rectangular, circular or other shape provided with transverse braces hav- IIO ing interior guide-sleeves, substantially as set A forth.

6. A cotterdam section composed of an open casing of rectangular, circular or other shape provided with transverse braces hav ing interior guide-sleeves and exterior guideways near the corners, substantially as set forth.

7. A coffer-dam section composed of an open casing of rectangular, circular or other shape, provided with transverse braces having interior guide-sleeves, exterior guideways near the corners, and exterior projecting brackets on the Walls, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with a coffer-dam, consisting of a number of coffer-dam sections secured by piles, of partition-walls between-said sections, said sections and partition-walls being provided with projecting brackets, and a transverse water-tight arch connecting, said cotter-dam sections and partitions and composed of arched supporting-ribs resting on said brackets, wire -,netting placed on said ribs, and a layer of Waterproof material placed over said netting, substantially as set forth.

9. In a system of submarine construction,a temporary arch extending across the cofferdam and composed of arched supporting-ribs,

Wire-netting placed on said ribs and a layer of Waterproof material placed over said netting, substantially as set forth.

10. In a system of submarine construction, a temporary arch spanning the cotter-dam and composed of arched supporting-ribs, Wirenetting placed on said ribs, a layer of thin sheet-lead placed over said wire-netting and a layer of waterproof material placed in the layer of sheet-lead, substantially as set forth.

11. In a system of submarine construction, a temporary guard-covering, consisting of wire-netting, sheets of lead spread over said netting, and a layer of waterproof material placedover said sheets of lead, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

BERNHARD H. \VEISKER.

IVitnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, M. H. WURTZEL. 

